IndieView with Jon Ripslinger, author of The Weight of Guilt

 

After reading the story, I thought “I can do that. I know about kids. My wife and I have six of them. I’m a high school teacher surrounded by kids every day. I can do that!” And so I did. But not without tons of failures and rejections. 

Jon Ripslinger – 17 May 2015

The Back Flap

Driving home from a bonfire party, eighteen-year-old John Hawk crashes, killing his girlfriend, Riley. Bullied and tormented at school, and crushed by his guilty conscience, John transfers to a school on the banks of the Mississippi River, where he attracts the eye of the principal’s daughter, Megan. Though he’s reluctant, she convinces him to be her prom date. The morning after prom, Principal Jones reports Megan missing. Four days later, her body is recovered from the river, and John becomes the prime suspect in her death.

Charley Cotton, Megan’s best friend, knows that Megan had a secret, but she doesn’t trust John because of his past. John is desperate to avoid adding to the shame he carries for Riley’s death, though—it’s destroying his life. With Charley’s help, he learns that others in Megan’s life had a motive to keep her quiet. But every effort they make to uncover the truth edges them closer to a desperate murderer with everything to lose

About the book

What is the book about?

The book is about eighteen-year-old high school senior John Hawk who feels responsible for the death of two girls he dated. John is struggling with tremendous guilt and a terrible fear that his life is cursed. He must prove himself innocent of rape and murder.

When did you start writing the book?

After about a year’s work, I finished the first draft in 1992.

How long did it take you to write it?

From the time I started to the time I finished the final draft and found a publisher—23 years. Of course I worked on a lot of other projects during that time and successfully published seven other young adult novels prior to TWOG.

Where did you get the idea from?

I taught high school English for thirty-five years. A female student of mine died in an automobile accident while her boyfriend was driving after a spring bonfire party. I wondered how the young man would survive the guilt he must be feeling. Then What if? gripped my mind. What if a second girl the young man dates dies, and he is accused of rape and murder? That’s when I sat down to write.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I had originally written the complete story from John Hawk’s point of view. Many drafts later, I decided to include Charlotte Cotton’s point of view. So I had to rewrite and add Charlotte’s chapters. Not only that, I found it easy to capture Charlotte’s female voice if I wrote in the present tense. That meant I had to go back and rewrite John’s chapters in the present tense, too. A very difficult job.

What came easily?

Nothing came easily. But I love the writing process; so though writing the book wasn’t easy, it was fun, not work at all. On second thought, I guess getting up and going to the computer every morning was easy.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

The characters, their descriptions, their back-stories, their motivations, their goals, their quirks are all fictitious.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

Reading Judy Blume’s Forever launched me into a YA writing career. I read the book sometime during the 1980s. It’s the story of a girl who thinks it’s okay to have sex with her boyfriend because she thinks their love is so strong it will last forever and they’ll marry one day. But they break up before summer’s end. She’s devastated and struggles to move on. After reading the story, I thought I can do that. I know about kids. My wife and I have six of them. I’m a high school teacher surrounded by kids every day. I can do that! And so I did. But not without tons of failures and rejections. I didn’t sell my first YA novel, until 1994.

Do you have a target reader?

I’m aiming to hook readers from ages 14-18 and hoping to attract adult readers, too.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

I’m a pantser. That is, I don’t outline the entire novel before I start. I write it from the seat of my pants. I have the main characters firmly in mind. I also have in mind two or three disasters for the middle of the story, and I know how I want the story to end, though I don’t know exactly what will happen in the climax, only that the ending will be happy or, at least, bittersweet. I start with the first chapter that introduces the main characters, gives the lead an immediate goal, creates tension, hints at the main story problem, and ends unpleasantly for the lead, forcing him to act. At the end of Act I, Act II, and Act III, I create a disaster for the lead that he must act upon and overcome. By this time I know what will happen in the climax and write it to the best of my ability. Writing from the seat of my pants requires a lot of rewriting, but that’s the only way I can write a novel.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I do not outline at all. I write character biographies and interview the characters. After every chapter is finished, I think What is the worst but logical thing that can happen to my lead now? What’s he going to do about it? And then I write the next chapter. And so on until the end.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit as I go, but at this point I’m not aiming for perfection. When I arrive at the computer in the morning, I read and edit the three or four pages I wrote the previous day, making sure every thing makes sense and my word choice and sentence structure is the best it can be for now. Rereading what I wrote puts me back into my story world, and then I’m on my way, listening to my characters talking to each other in my head and deciding to take action.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I hired a professional editor for THWOG. She helped me make great improvements in the book, but it was Red Adept Publisher’s content editor, line editor, and proofreaders who really added polish to the manuscript.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

No finger-tapping music for me. I listen to classical music playing softly in the background.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

Yes, I have submitted my work to agents and have had two who have represented me, selling four books to major publishers.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

One agent dropped me. She told me up front she wasn’t making enough money off my books. The other agent dropped out of the agency business to become an indie publisher. The agency published three books for me, but I found myself doing most of my own editing and did not get much promotional support, so I decided to look elsewhere for an indie publisher rather than an agent and was extremely lucky to discover Red Adept Publishing.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Red Adept Publishing provided my awesome book cover.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

First of all, Red Adept Publishing provides excellent marketing support for its authors, but I also aggressively market my own books on Facebook, twitter, pintrest, and google+; I intend to up my presence on Goodreads. I visit junior high and senior high classrooms, talking about writing and publishing. My blog —one-minuteromance.blogspot.com—which features my eight published young adult novels, has over 16,000 hits.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

I have a poster pinned to the wall in my writing room that states:

Press On

Nothing in the world will take the place of persistence.

Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is common.

Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

End of Interview:

For more from Jon, visit his blog, follow him on Twitter, or friend him on Facebook.

Get your copy of The Weight of Guilt from Amazon US (paper or ebook), Amazon UK (paper or ebook), or Barnes & Noble.